Yes, once again, the quite wonderful Jamie Kah won over the usually fickle and often kinda weird Hong Kong racing fans with their conspiracy theories and ways of looking at the pastime while being guided by feng shui.
This time, the charm offensive by Jamie Kah worked when she rode a double including driving off and flying out with the Classic Mile Cup aboard the Ricky Yiu-trained Voyage Bubble.
She also took out the day’s Jockeys Challenge, but let’s not have the success of Team Golden Sixty fly under the radar.
In one of the best days of world class racing seen in Hong Kong with wins for Ryan Moore, James McDonald, Hugh Bowman and Miss Jamie, there was a perfect ride by Hong Kong born Vincent Ho Chak-yiu to ensure that his great friend Golden Sixty ran away with this year’s Stewards Cup.
It was a beautifully timed ride and patience personified with Ho waiting for the opening that he knew would happen.
One doesn’t think that this confident waiting game went unnoticed to many of those watching the race unfold.
What one can’t help thinking about is how Hong Kong can thank Team Golden Sixty- the Jockey, Trainer Francis Lui Kin-wai, his stable staff and owner Stanley Chan Ka-leung.
Teamwork makes dreams work and Team Golden Sixty should get a standing ovation for how well they have mapped out the career plans for who must be the greatest galloper Hong Kong has seen.
What the team does next with their equine superstar and Golden Boy is up to them.
One only hopes that Vincent Ho is finally recognised as a world class jockey and Hong Kong sporting hero starting with Hong Kong racing fans, the international racing media, and, hopefully, the mainstream media.
The latter could be a real game changer for the image of horse racing in Hong Kong and with new building blocks in place to take the pastime where it’s still to go- acceptance by a mainstream audience.
As for Jamie Kah, she seems to be enjoying her flying trips to Hong Kong and all the love she’s receiving.
Is it enough to entice her to ride in the city for any length of time?
With her partner and fellow jockey Ben Melham in Australia, and being a country girl who enjoys the wide open spaces, Jamie Kah is in a position to enjoy exactly where she is and taking in the best of all worlds.
It’s not about everyone in racing wanting money and more money.
As for Vincent Ho, behind that laidback persona, one can’t help but think that here’s a rider who knows that his time is now and that the world stage of horse racing is open to him.
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